Meetings
are a fact of our everyday lives, whether in businesses, organizations,
and/or clubs. How well we present ourselves and our ideas and how well
we work with others during meetings will determine our success in all
areas of our careers and lives. Unfortunately, many meetings are boring,
unproductive, and too long. As powerful presenters, how can we help to
turn this around?

When should
we hold a meeting?
Meetings held on a routine basis  weekly, bi-monthly, monthly 
are often tedious and wasteful. A meeting should be held only when it is
the best way to achieve an objective. Look for the goal, the purpose, the
basic reason for holding the meeting. Ask yourself and others involved:
Why should we hold this meeting? What do we want to achieve at this meeting?
and What do we want to achieve after the meeting is over? A meeting without
a specific objective is almost certain to achieve nothing specific and will
be a waste of everyones time.

Proper
preparation beforehand assures meaningful meetings. Use an agenda
as both a blueprint and a plan of action for every meeting. The properly
put together agenda will focus the participants on the objective of the
meeting and the means to achieve it. During the meeting it can be used
as a guide and reference and after the meeting it will serve as a reminder
of what was accomplished and what follow-up actions need to be taken.
The agenda should state the objective of the meeting, the issues to be
discussed, the time the meeting will begin and end, the place, the participants
involved, and what is expected of each of them in meeting preparation.
Careful preparation is the best way to keep any meeting on target and
on time.

Every
participant should come to a meeting with a brief, prepared message.
By just answering other peoples questions or keeping quiet, you
will not be taking part in the opportunity afforded by attending a meeting.
By having a concise message ready and finding a time to present it will
give you a chance to command respect and understanding. Your brief message
should include a grabber opening, a main idea, and a call
for action. It shouldnt be memorized or read, but do have the facts
ready (it is OK to have notes on a 3 X 5 card). It should be a subject
you feel strongly about and you should find out in advance if there will
be opposition to your objective. If so, you will need to consider what
the opponents main points will be and who your allies will be. Getting
the right people on your side in advance will save endless time and lost
causes.

Telling
a personal story is the single most powerful technique in communicating
your message. Under pressure at a meeting it is sometimes hard to
remember what you are going to say. Not, however, when you tell personal
stories. It is hard to forget your own experiences and it is fun to talk
about them. It is also easy for the others at the meeting to identify
with your story. Remember, it must be true  the more dramatic and
humorous, the better. Again, keep it brief and to the point.

Add visual
aids when they will enhance the meeting. Pictures and props can be
instantly comprehended, where words are not. So decide first if the meeting
room is conducive to visuals and what kind of visuals would be best to
reinforce a particular point. When preparing visual aids, make sure they
are truly visual  not just a lot of words  and that they will
save time and hold the groups attention. Use vivid images, careful
preparation, a concise presentation, and silence during viewing and you
will have made the meeting more productive for all those attending.

A successful
meeting has four elements. They are firm time constraints  setting
the beginning and ending times and sticking to them; preparation 
of the agenda and what each participant will offer; proper presentation
 viewpoints presented in a clear, concise manner within a prescribed
amount of time; and control  the leader or facilitator controls
the meeting with set priorities and a firm, but polite attitude from all
involved.

Do you
ask for written evaluations to determine the success of your meetings?
Because we want to avoid meetings that lack results, it is a good
idea to have participants answer the following questions:

Did we
achieve the meeting objectives as stated in the agenda?

If not,
why not?

What are
three positive things can we do to improve the next meeting?

What are
three things we did that we should not do at the next meeting?

What are
the two most important things the leader can do to improve the meeting?

What are
the two most important things the participants can do to improve the
meeting?

Could
we have done without this meeting?

If so,
how?

Follow these tips and consider the answers to the above questions, and
you will have people looking forward to your meetings! You will also achieve
your objectives!

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